There is a toilet apparatus including a radio wave sensor for detecting a detection object in a toilet space. In Japanese Patent No. 4482301, the following technology is discussed in which a radio wave sensor provided in the toilet apparatus is used. In this technology, technology that detects the movement of the detection object from phase difference information of a signal is combined with technology that detects the presence or absence of the detection object from the signal strength. Specifically, in the case where the entrance or exit of the toilet room is in front of the toilet apparatus, the presence or absence and movement of the human body are determined based on the phase difference information. In the case where the entrance or exit is at the side surface of the toilet apparatus, the presence or absence of the human body is determined based on the signal strength.
For example, in the case where a user of the toilet apparatus performs standing urination, the user is substantially stationary in a standing posture. Thus, according to the state of use of the user inside the toilet room, there are cases where a large signal strength is not obtained. Accordingly, when detecting the presence or absence of the human body based on the signal strength, it is desirable to increase the sensitivity of the radio wave sensor.
However, when the sensitivity is increased, the radio wave sensor undesirably detects, at the periphery of the toilet room, a human not intending to use the toilet room. As a result, there is a possibility that the state of detecting the human body to be present is continued even though the user has exited the toilet room.
For example, from the state of the human body being present, if the toilet apparatus is supposed to wash the toilet or close the toilet lid when the radio wave sensor detects that the human body is absent, these operations are not performed if the detection of the human body being present undesirably continues.
The invention is based on the recognition of such problems and is directed to provide a toilet apparatus in which a human body intending to use the toilet apparatus can be detected with higher precision.